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White House eyes changes to HHS, welfare programs

Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images

The Trump administration is planning to consolidate welfare programs and rename the Health and Human Services Department, Politico reports.

Why it matters: It may not actually happen — big changes like this usually have to be approved by Congress. However, it shows that the Trump administration is trying to act on ideas promoted by the conservative Heritage Foundation, which has been pushing to move programs to HHS in the name of efficiency. If the reorganization did happen, those health care and social programs could also become an easier target for budget cuts.